CCFR seeks volunteer firefighters, scene support personnel

The fire department is recruiting volunteer firefighters, as well as scene support personnel volunteers.

Capital City Fire & Rescue Division Chief Ed Quinto said that the deadline to apply to be a volunteer firefighter is Nov. 9.

Applicants must be 18 years old and possess a valid Alaska drivers license. They also must provide two letters of recommendation, a criminal background check form (which can be obtained through the State of Alaska Records and Identification) and a driving record (which cab be obtained through the State of Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles).

Aside from those items, the only other requirements to be a volunteer firefighter is to be physically fit and mentally able to handle the often strenuous job.

Volunteers that pass the initial screening will then be interviewed by a selection committee, which approves candidates before moving them onto orientation.

All training and equipment will be provided. Volunteer firefighters that are selected will attend the Firefighter 1 Academy, to be held in January 2013.

CCFR currently has somewhere between 50 and 60 volunteer firefighters, Quinto said. Quinto didn’t put a number on how many new firefighters they were hoping to recruit, just saying as many as possible.

CCFR conducts a big recruiting push annually, generally around this time of year, to supplement the 36 career staff positions CCFR holds.

Applications can apply online at www.ccfr.net, or applications can be picked up at CCFR headquarters, 820 Glacier Avenue.

For those not interested in being a firefighter, but still are interested in helping out, CCFR is looking for volunteers to join the Scene Support Program.

Quinto says scene support personnel work at everything, except physically fighting the fires, he said. Those responsibilities can range from helping getting equipment ready, such as hoses and air packs, to ensuring scene safety.

Scene support personnel are required to pass a 40-hour training course, which involves a lot of self-studying, Quinto said. Applications for the scene support program are accepted year-round.

Quinto noted becoming a volunteer is a great way to make a difference in your community. He added it’s also a great opportunity to make fire fighting a career.

Quinto himself joined the department as a volunteer in 1979, and was hired as career staff the next year in 1980. Fire Chief Richard Etheridge also first joined the department as a volunteer in 1992.